Akin Gump Expands Bankruptcy Practice in New York

05/17/1999

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Jacinta O'Shea-Ramdeholl

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Sarah Richmond

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(New York, NY) -- Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld, L.L.P. is pleased to announce that Daniel H. Golden, Fred S. Hodara and Lisa G. Beckerman have joined the firm’s bankruptcy practice as partners in New York. The three lawyers previously were partners at Stroock & Stroock & Lavan LLP in New York.

The new group will expand significantly the firm’s already strong capabilities in bankruptcy, reorganization and creditors’ rights. Messrs. Golden and Hodara and Ms. Beckerman are recognized as among the top bankruptcy practitioners in the country, with substantial experience in representing debtors, creditors’ committees, bondholder and institutional committees, and acquirors in large chapter 11 cases and out-of-court restructurings. Current and recent representations include the official creditors’ committees of The Penn Traffic Company and Levitz Furniture Inc. as well as the senior creditors of the Pittsburgh Penguins and Golden Books Publishing Company.

Akin Gump’s bankruptcy group has acted as debtor’s counsel, special counsel to the debtor, trustee or trustee’s counsel, creditor’s counsel and creditors’ committee counsel in a multitude of major, high-profile matters. Current and recent representations include Boston Chicken, Inc., Criimi Mae Inc. and Toshoku America, Inc.

The New York office opened with five attorneys in 1993 and has grown to number more than 100 attorneys. The addition of Messrs. Golden and Hodara and Ms. Beckerman continues the firm’s pattern of steady growth in New York.

Daniel H. Golden

, who will head the New York bankruptcy practice, will focus on out-of-court corporate restructurings, recapitalizations and bankruptcies. He represents both debtors and creditors’ committees with an emphasis on bondholder restructurings. Mr. Golden has acted as lead counsel in representing official and unofficial creditors’/bondholders’ committees in many of the country’s largest restructurings including The Grand Union Company, The Penn Traffic Company, Walter Industries, Inc. and Levitz Furniture Inc. His current debtor representations include Raytech Corporation and Scott Cable Communications Inc. Mr. Golden received his B.A. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1974 and his J.D. from the State University of New York at Buffalo in 1977. He is a member of the New York Bar.

Fred S. Hodara’s practice focuses on representing insurance companies and other institutional investors, distressed investors, and committees of creditors in domestic and cross-border corporate restructurings. His current and recent representations of official and unofficial committees of creditors include Westbridge Capital Corp., Forstmann & Company, Inc. and Golden Books Publishing Company. Mr. Hodara has extensive experience in sports bankruptcies, including the recent cases of The Pittsburgh Penguins, Pinnacle Brands, Inc. and The Starter Corporation. He is a member of the American College of Investment Counsel and a member of the Board of Directors of the Turnaround Management Association - New York Chapter. Mr. Hodara received his B.A. in 1977 from the State University of New York at Binghamton, where he was named a member of Phi Beta Kappa, and his J.D. in 1981 from New York University. He is a member of the New York Bar and is admitted to practice before the U.S. District Courts for the Southern, Northern and Eastern Districts of New York.

Lisa G. Beckerman has extensive experience representing high-yield and distressed investors, including bondholders’ committees in G. Heileman Brewing Company, Inc., CAI Wireless Systems, Inc., Olympia & York Maiden Lane Finance Corp. and Wherehouse Entertainment, Inc. Ms. Beckerman was listed as one of the “Outstanding Young Bankruptcy Lawyers 1999” in Turnarounds & Workouts. She received her B.A. with honors from the University of Chicago in 1984, her M.B.A. from the University of Texas in 1986 and her J.D. from Boston University in 1989. Ms. Beckerman is a member of the New York, New Jersey and District of Columbia Bars. She is also admitted to practice before the U.S. District Courts for the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York and the District of New Jersey.

Akin Gump Chairman Bruce McLean stated, “Bankruptcy and restructuring have become increasingly significant aspects of the full range of financial services we provide to our clients. With Danny, Fred and Lisa on board we solidify and enhance our position as one of the top bankruptcy practices in the country.”

Danny Golden commented, “Fred, Lisa and I are tremendously excited about the opportunities presented by bringing our restructuring practice to Akin Gump. Not only will we become part of an already experienced and sophisticated insolvency practice, but we will also be surrounded by top-notch lawyers in other legal disciplines required in the complex arena of corporate restructuring.”

Founded in 1945, Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld, L.L.P., a leading international law firm, numbers 850 lawyers with offices in Austin, Brussels, Dallas, Houston, London, Los Angeles, Moscow, New York, Philadelphia, San Antonio and Washington. The firm has a diversified practice and represents regional, national and international clients in a wide range of areas, including antitrust; banking and financial institutions; bankruptcy, reorganization and creditors’ rights; capital markets; communications; corporate and securities; employee benefits; energy; entertainment; environmental; estate planning and probate; food and drug; government contracts; health; insurance; intellectual property; international; investment management; labor and employment; litigation; mergers and acquisitions; privatization; project finance; public law and policy; real estate and finance; taxation; and technology. For additional information, please visit our Web site at http://www.akingump.com.

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